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Enlarge ImageRequest to buy this photoANDY WONG | ASSOCIATED PRESSDuring a promotional event before the opening of the new Hollister store in Beijing, a Chinese woman snaps a photograph of her with two swimsuit models. The store will be Hollister’s seventh in China.

Surf’s up — in Beijing.

Hollister Co., the surf-themed chain from Abercrombie & Fitch, is opening a new store on Saturday in the Chinese city’s commercial district — its seventh location in China, including two in Hong Kong. Plans call for more to come.

While a surf-themed retail store would seem to be an odd fit for the inland capital of China, the New Albany-based retailer has seen early success since opening its first two Hollister stores in China in 2011.

“It’s very early days, but we’re very encouraged by what we’ve seen,” said Jonathan E. Ramsden, the retailer’s chief financial officer.

All four of the current Chinese stores are performing well. “When we opened up in China, we didn’t have anything like the level of awareness when we open up in Germany or in the U.K., so the stores opened more modestly,” Ramsden told investors during a recent conference.

The seeming clash of culture hasn’t been an issue at all, a company spokeswoman said.

“Our Hollister marketing and store experience is the same around the world,” spokeswoman Mackenzie Bruce said. “Our consumers in China are receptive to the brand and are excited to be a part of the laid-back, casual lifestyle that Hollister provides.”

Sales bear out that judgment, company officials said. Comparable-store sales, a key indicator of a retailer’s health, rose in the Chinese stores by about 40 percent in the quarter, “even in a difficult inventory environment, which continues to give us optimism about Asia,” said Michael S. Jeffries, Abercrombie’s chairman and CEO.

While Abercrombie launched Hollister Co. in July 2000 with a southern California surfer image, the chain’s strong sales can also be at least partly attributed to the fact that it has lower prices than its older sibling.

“Moreover, Hollister stores are smaller in size compared to (Abercrombie & Fitch) stores and thus their capital expenditures are lower,” analysts at financial website Trefis.com wrote recently in a note to investors. “Together, these aspects make Hollister a viable option for international expansion.”

Abercrombie officials have indicated that, based on strong performance so far, the company will open more Hollister stores in China in the coming year, but would not offer further details.